


Thanks for the memories

by RosemaryBourbon



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Rock Band, Dubious Consent, Explicit Language, M/M, Pining, Rape/Non-con Elements, Strong Harry Potter
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-26
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:22:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 8
Words: 13,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24930727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RosemaryBourbon/pseuds/RosemaryBourbon
Summary: Draco forgot to breathe. Of. Fucking. Course. It just had to be Potter. Why did Potter always show up during the worst moments of his life? Draco always did have terrible luck.
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter
Comments: 16
Kudos: 126





	1. Moving

Draco had never felt more free. No. That wasn’t right. He had never felt more relieved. No, that wasn’t it either… Happy? No. Lonely? Yes. Betrayed? Yup. Lost? You bet. Maybe not as lost as he was right after the War, but he thought he had finally found a place. Admittedly not always a great place, but a place, nonetheless.

  
Walking the streets of London at three in the afternoon did nothing to alleviate his mind. He was just a speck amid a sea of people. Were there always this many couples walking around? Draco shoved his hands into the pockets of his denim jacket and turned the corner onto Borough Market. He just needed to get to the shop. Something that was his would help ease his mind. He was sure of it.  
The bell above the door rang as he walked inside, the smell of paper and coffee hitting his senses and offering a small, but immediate, comfort. A few of his regulars were sat at the small tables in the front, reading books, typing papers; all too engrossed to look up.

  
“Draco? What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be off today! You need to stop coming in to check up on-“Millie stopped in the middle of her admonishment as she noticed the look on Draco’s face. “What happened? Are you okay? Was it that asshole again? How many times do we need to tell you that he’s not good for you? You need to break it off.”

  
“I did.” Draco interjected; eyes cast downward as he flipped the counter up to allow himself in the back.

  
“You broke it off?” Millie asked incredulously.

  
“Yup.” He said shortly, popping the “p” harshly as he tugged an apron on. He still hadn’t looked at Millie.

  
Back at Hogwarts, people always mistook Millie for being a brute. A bit larger than other girls, she also suffered from hardcore RBF. Draco always thought he was dumb back then for not taking the time back then to get to know her better. She wasn’t mean. She just didn’t bother to socialize with those who showed no interest in socializing with her. She was actually quite caring, strong-willed, and passionate about others in her life. Draco could have used someone like that when he was younger.

  
They met again after the war. Both huddled in the back of the many funeral services that were taking place. Something must have been etched onto Draco’s face for Millie asked Draco to leave with her and get coffee. He had felt relieved and then felt guilty for having a reason to leave. He had been conflicted, but Millie simply took his hand and held it all the way to the apparition point. He still remembers that moment in the sun, the light reflecting off her dirty blonde hair, and she turned around with her big blue eyes and smiled. She was pretty. Beautiful even. He saw what Greg saw in her. He hadn’t spoke with him in so long and wondered if Greg even wanted to speak with him after what had happened with…

  
“What happened?” Millie snapped Draco out of his memories with perfect timing, as always.

  
“You guys were right,” He flicked his eyes up to meet Millie’s and saw the concern there. He looked away when he felt his eyes suddenly burning, “I walked in on it… I don’t want to talk about it…”

  
“Oh Draco… I’m so sorry.”

  
“You told me; I just didn’t want to listen.” Draco grabbed the broom and began sweeping the back room. If he looked at Millie again, he knew he would cry and he already had done that enough today, thank you very much.

  
“Where are you staying?” Millie asked softly, concern lacing her tone.

  
“I don’t know yet. I sent all of my stuff to the Manor, but I- “

  
“Well that’s not going to do. Have an elf send your bags over. You’re staying with me.”

  
“Millie, I won’t do that to- “

  
“Hush. I have an empty guest bedroom with your name on it. At least until you figure out where you want to go.” She turned to walk back to the employee break area, leaving Draco staring after. She returned a moment later and held a key out in front of her. “Here you go roomie. Take this, get your stuff, and stop working. My shift will be over in an hour. I’ll pick up some terrible take-out and a bunch of wine.”

  
Draco felt the tears pushing again and had to swallow down his feelings twice before he could reply. “Millie, you’re a great friend. Thank you.” He took the key and pocketed it, then placed the broom back against the wall.

  
“Nah. I’m just trying to get in good with the boss.” Millie winked and Draco surprisingly chuckled softly. “I’ll see you in a bit okay?”

  
“Yeah I’ll see you soon.” Draco walked back out of his shop, leaving his sought-out comfort behind. He felt a bit better though knowing there was a small place for him somewhere else.


	2. Chapter 2

Draco had his elf Bippy send his things to Millie’s apartment. After a long guilt trip from his favorite elf (were they even allowed to do that?) Draco must have dozed off on his new bed.

  
The next thing he knew, he was startled awake by someone shaking his shoulder.  
“Drakey! Wakey wakey eggs and bakey!”

  
“Blaise? What the hell are you doing here?” Draco rubbed his eyes and slowly sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. “What time is it?”

  
“It’s just a little past 6. Millie got a hold of me. Pans is here too.” Blaise responded over his shoulder as he began picking through the clothing Draco had hung in the closet. “Honestly, Draco. How many T-shirts do you own now? You used to be such a posh dresser.”

  
Draco had originally begun wearing T-shirts and jeans to integrate better with muggles. For the first two years after the battle, he had his magic restricted and was sent for community service at a Muggle/Witch halfway house. He ended up enjoying the feeling of being comfortable wherever he went. Theo had also been vocal of his jealousy when Draco dressed up for any occasion. To ease his mind, Draco toned down his wardrobe. He hadn’t been shopping in so long…

  
He chose not to reply to Blaise’s question.

“Why did Millie call you?” Draco stood from the bed and brushed his hair back into its usual shaggy state.

  
“You know very well why. Now, come on, everything is set up.” Blaise sauntered out of the room, giving Draco a moment of peace.

  
Part of him just wanted to be left alone. He didn’t want to talk about what happened. He didn’t want to rehash walking into his home and seeing unfamiliar shoes lying haphazardly on the floor, followed by other strange pieces of clothing leading the way to his bedroom door. He didn’t want to relive slowly opening the door to see his boyfriend balls deep in some stranger riding him in their four-poster bed. He didn’t want to recount how he had locked eyes with the strange man and seeing confusion there. He certainly doesn’t want to think about what was reflected in his own.

  
Draco took a deep breath, shook his head and left his room to meet his friends.

  
Millie’s apartment consisted of two bedrooms, a kitchen, a bathroom, and a living room. The table in front of her couch was filled with multiple take-out boxes (from Draco’s favorite Mediterranean place,) and he saw at least five bottles of wine. Surrounding the table was Pansy, Millie, and Blaise, all holding full wine glasses in their hands.

  
“There you are darling! It’s quite rude to make us wait.”

  
“My apologies Pansy. It’s not like I had a shit day or anything.” Draco and Pansy loved each other, truly. They were just a bit more volatile in how they showed it. It was something other people didn’t always understand. Theo never had…

  
Millie snapped him out of his thoughts as she pushed a glass into his hand. “Drink up! And make a plate. We’ve all been waiting and we’re starving.”

  
Draco took a spot on the floor and piled rice and veg onto his plate. Besides the scraping of the dishes, silence echoed throughout the room. He felt their stares burrowing into him.  
Once he finished filling his plate, he reached for the wine to fill his glass next. He swilled the alcohol a bit in his glass, brought it to his nose to sniff, and the steadily drank the entire thing down in one go. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, filled his glass again, and then finally looked up to make eye contact with the group around him.

  
“Are any of you going to get this show on the road or do I need to get completely blitzed first?”

  
“Oh darling, don’t let us stop you. You’re far more fun when you are.” Pansy replied snidely.

  
“Bitch.”

  
“Surely, you can do better than that dear.”

  
Draco softly laughed to himself and then felt tears beginning to fill his eyes. He covered them with both of his hands and tried to slow his breathing down. He felt arms surround him, and from the smell of their floral perfume, he immediately recognized it as Pansy. He felt another hand rubbing his back as he began crying into her shoulder.

  
“Do you want us to kill him? Maim him maybe? I’m sure I could consult mother.” Draco rolled his eyes at Blaise’s questioning and slowly pulled away from Pansy to pick up his wine glass.

  
“No, Blaise. But thank you for offering.” He took a large gulp of his wine and grasped his fork to idly pick at his food. He didn’t have an appetite at the moment. Pansy moved back to the corner of the couch across the table.

  
“So, Draco…do you want to tell us what happened?” Draco looked up at Millie and saw the concern in her eyes. He glanced back down at his food and shrugged his shoulders. Picking up his glass, he downed it once again and filled his glass immediately after, this time to the rim. He cleared his throat as he stared down into his wine, avoiding eye contact for the moment.

  
“I came home after grocery shopping. Was going to make us dinner. Thought it’d be romantic…” He trailed off, took a sip of his wine, and then held his glass closer to his chest. “I didn’t think Theo would be home from work yet. I had told him I was working so that I could surprise him, you know?” At this, he looked up at his friends, searching for validation.

  
Millie nodded showing she understood. Pansy sat with her arms crossed over chest, one hand holding her glass aloft. Blaise was eating slowly, keeping his eyes trained on his food.

  
“I came home and went to the kitchen to put everything away, and then went to get a shower…but when I went through the drawing room I…” Draco sniffed and knuckled his eye, feeling tears creeping up on him once more, “I noticed there were shoes left on the floor. And first I thought it was Theo just leaving his stuff around, so I went to pick them up, but they weren’t his. Or…they weren’t anything of his that I recognized. But I thought, maybe…you know, maybe he got a new pair and just didn’t like them. So, I went to put them away in our closet, but when I got to the hall…”

  
Draco had to stop again to control his breathing. The tears were rolling freely from his eyes.

  
“In the hallway there was a pair of jeans lying all crumpled. And…and Theo never wears them. Never.” Draco again glanced at his friends, seeking confirmation.

Millie once again nodded; Pansy remained the same. Blaise had stopped eating, but was sitting stock still, fork still clasped his hand.

  
“So, I went to the bedroom and I heard rustling. And I’m so stupid, ‘cause I was still trying to make excuses. I thought maybe one of his parent’s elves was just making the bed or something.” Draco paused again and shook his head. He took a long gulp of his wine and sat the glass down on the table in front of him.

  
“When I opened the door, I saw some guy getting fucked by Theo.” Draco stopped again, trying to control his breathing to keep himself from sobbing, “Theo didn’t see me at first. The other guy did. And he looked so confused and jumped off him so quick. Theo just sat up and looked at me and didn’t say anything.” Draco had started speed talking, his emotions rolling out a pace he couldn’t control, “And I just, I just immediately went to the closet and started pulling my shit out. I can’t remember everything I yelled at him…” Draco trailed off again and wiped his eyes.

  
Blaise finally broke his silence, “Did he even try to stop you?”

  
Draco laughed in anguish, shook his head and began crying in earnest, “ He just sat on the bed, and he told me…he said that I’d be back cause I didn’t have anyone else to go to.”

  
Blaise threw his fork angrily at his plate, “Good riddance Draco. He was an ass in school and he’s an even bigger ass now. You deserve so much more than that prick. You have us to go to. We are your family, and at the end of the day, that’s what matters.”

  
“…I loved him…” Draco said meekly, sniffled and then finished his wine. He should probably slow down, but he couldn’t bring himself to care.

  
“Did you really dear? Or did you just think you loved him?” Pansy still sat with her arms crossed. She took a sip from her glass and stared at Draco pointedly over the rim of her glass. Draco stared back but said nothing.

“They really are two very different things.” She said, eyes never parting from his. Draco looked down at his forgotten food and picked up his fork.

  
“I don’t know…” he whispered, “but I feel like I was. Otherwise, why would this hurt so much?” He shoved a forkful of rice into his mouth and chewed pensively as another tear rolled down his cheek.

“Hmmm. Right. Well tonight, we are going to drink and eat until we pass out. And tomorrow night, we are going out.” Pansy finally sat he wine glass down and began to eat.

  
“Pans, I don’t think I’m up for that.”

  
“Oh, I’m sorry dear. For some reason you seem to be under the impression that you have a choice in the matter. You are going. I know best after all.” She smirked cheekily and dug in.

  
“She’s got a point Draco.” Draco rolled his eyes again at Blaise, who was currently looking completely besotted with his dark-haired friend. Draco looked to Millie, hoping she would be the voice of reason. Instead she shrugged sheepishly.

  
“Pansy usually is right.” She said meekly and immediately shoved food into her mouth to end the questioning.

  
Draco shoved another forkful in his mouth and muttered through the food in his mouth, “Traitors…”

  
“Dear, manners please.”

  
Draco sighed and vowed to pass out sooner, rather than later.


	3. Chapter 3

Despite Draco’s wishes, he was the last to finally succumb to sleep, and even that didn’t last long. Instead, he spent most of the night tossing and turning, wondering where he went wrong, why he wasn’t enough, and what he could have done different. He slept on and off until Blaise sauntered in around noon, throwing himself upon Draco’s bed.

“Are you awake? I have such a headache.”

Draco bristled under the covers and attempted to shove Blaise off of his legs. “Well maybe you shouldn’t have drunk 2 bottles of wine last night.”

“I’d drink that and more for you old chap. Now seriously, it’s time to get up. We have rehearsal and you know how Greg gets when we’re late.” Blaise slapped Draco on the arm and hauled himself upright, stretching his arms above his head.

“You mean when you’re late.” Draco grumbled, sitting upright and wiping the sleep from his eyes. “Do we really have to have rehearsal today?”

“Don’t give me attitude Draco. You skipped the last three rehearsals. And we have a gig coming up!” Blaise turned to look at him with his hands on his hips, exasperated at the notion.

“Yeah, at Eclipse. We’ve performed there before. I’m sure it will be fine.”

Blaise dropped his hands and looked saddened by what Draco had uttered. “Do you not want to perform anymore? You used to love playing with us. The band was your idea.”

Draco felt guilty for having said anything at all. The truth was Draco did love his band. Almost every good time he has had since the war had something or other to do with performing and he didn’t want to give it up. Over the last year, though, Theo had become more and more vocal about his distaste for Draco performing. Particularly, performing on stage with Blaise. No matter how often he assured Theo that there was nothing and never would be anything between them, Theo refused to listen. His jealousy was one thing that Draco was sure he wouldn’t miss.

“No that’s not it. You know I love playing.”

“Then what is it?”

“I don’t know…”

“Look, come to rehearsal. You haven’t been for weeks and the guys miss you. And we can’t reschedule for later in the week because you stupidly always work yourself more than your employees.”

“I like working Blaise. Maybe you should try it sometime?” Draco replied incredulously, arching his eyebrow at his best friend.

“And tarnish these beautiful hands?” Blaise shoved his hands into Draco’s face, “Never.” He playfully slapped Draco’s cheek and turned to leave the room. “Meet at eclipse in an hour and do not be late!”

With that, Blaise left and shut Draco’s door behind him. Begrudgingly, Draco pulled himself from his bed and grabbed clothes to take with him to the shower. He still felt hungover and hoped the water would wash some of his grogginess away.

Once he stepped into the hallway, he heard Millie and Pansy’s voices echoing from the kitchen. Curious, he dropped his clothes on the bathroom sink and then made his way towards the kitchen.

“It’s not healthy Pans. You know he should go talk to someone.” Millie whispered over the counter to where Pansy was sipping at her tea.

“Well what exactly do you want me to do? You know how much he hates doctors.”

“I know, but maybe if you brou-“

“Maybe if you stopped talking about me behind my back, I wouldn’t have such a complex.” Draco strolled into the kitchen, snagging a piece of toast off of the plate Millie had sat on the counter.

“You know me better than that Draco dear. I have no problem saying anything to your face.” Pansy smirked at him while Draco rolled his eyes fondly.

“You guys don’t need to worry about me, so just drop it. I don’t need a doctor, I’m fine. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to get ready to go to rehearsal.”

“You’re rehearsing again?” Millie seemed excited by the prospect.

“Yes, I’m rehearsing again. It’s not like its even been that long since our last one anyway. Now stop fretting.” Draco kissed Millie on the cheek, ruffled Pansy’s hair, much to her displeasure, and made his way back to the bathroom. Despite his nonchalance, he was actually feeling slightly nervous about going. He knew Greg had stopped trying to reach out and was most likely pissed at him. And while Draco wanted nothing more than to hide beneath his covers and forget that he and the world existed, there was also a part of him that missed the feeling performing with his friends gave him. Draco vowed to never miss another rehearsal.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're getting more into the story so I'm excited. Bit of a longer chapter too.

Draco vowed to never attend another rehearsal. The day before had been brutal. The usually quiet Greg reprimanded Draco harshly about missing. Even when Blaise told him what happened with Theo, Greg had no sympathy, only stating “good riddance,” and “you can do better,” before he started away on his drums. Michael was a bit more welcoming, but not by much. The bassist simply told him that missing rehearsals “wasn’t cool” and told Draco that he was happy to have their main vocalist back. After Blaise’s outrage of not being good enough, everything felt a bit more natural. Draco still felt awful the entire time.

He didn’t even notice how many rehearsals he was missing when he was with Theo. Theo just always seemed unhappy about Draco going, and so he went less and less. It wasn’t even the band, Draco thinks, it’s the fact that Draco did something that Theo wasn’t a part of. And that it was something Draco did with Blaise.

Draco couldn’t even count how many arguments Theo instigated over Draco’s friendship with Blaise. It was the one thing Draco refused to give in on. Blaise was there for him during his darkest times. That year after the war would have probably been the end if Draco had any say about it, but Blaise was always there to pull him kicking and screaming back from the precipice. With the news of his mother, so close after his father, Draco felt he had nothing left to live for.

Draco stopped his thought process where it was. He was already feeling terrible about Theo. It was best to not drudge up old memories. He needed to at least appear as if his life was doing okay, at least for today. He was working the front counter after all.

Draco loved his little café. It was never insanely busy, except maybe in the mornings, and at dinner time. And sometimes at lunch. Okay, Brewer’s Alchemy was a bit busy. He’d never give in and tell Millie that though, cause then she’d feel just in hiring more people. Draco loved working there. His shop felt more like a home than anything he had ever had before, and it was because it was all his. Mostly. It will be all his once he pays off the loan Theo’s father had given him years ago. He was getting closer and closer to having it paid and couldn’t think about cutting into his profits to pay more people until it was done. Draco didn’t mind working the extra days and overtime to keep his other employees happy due to being understaffed. Millie was on him all the time about work life balance. Draco didn’t see the problem with it. He had off every evening, and yeah, maybe he had to wake up at 4 am a good bit to get the machines started, but it was peaceful. And Draco never slept much anyway so the hours didn’t bother him.

Four years ago, Draco’s small rag tag group of friends thought his idea of opening a muggle coffee shop was a bit insane. They couldn’t figure out why he wouldn’t want to open a shop in Diagon Alley, or Hogsmeade, or one of the other small quaint towns that were inhabited by witches and wizards. Draco didn’t blame them, but they also never faced the world the world in the manner that Draco continuously had to. The disdain, the comments, the looks. Draco hated the looks the most. And it was everywhere he went in the magical world.

After the dark years, as Draco fondly remembered them as, he found himself more and more occupying his time with muggles. Attending their bars, their restaurants, concert venues, shops, and everything in between. No one looked at him. He was just a regular person and one day while sitting in the park, coffee in hand, writing lyrics out in his beat up spiral notebook, he suddenly had a thought that turned into a dream that became a goal bigger than any other he ever had.

After seeing the seriousness in which Draco felt about opening his own shop, Pansy got him a meeting with Thomas Nott, Theodore Nott’s father. Thomas had once been considered a death eater, but became useful to the ministry when he disclosed he was only a financial advisor for some of the most nefarious members. He was pardoned completely and had made considerable donations to muggleborn organizations in reparations. He was Draco’s best chance in finding someone to loan him money to begin a muggle business. Thomas, it turned out, was impressed with Draco’s proposal and the level of preparedness Draco brought to their meeting. He agreed that day to fund Draco’s dream. Draco didn’t want to think that Thomas Nott was possibly doing it as a favor for his late mother. The two were close friends during their Hogwarts years.

“Hey Draco, I’m gonna go on break.” Daphne broke Draco out of his mini reverie, causing him to glance down at the time.”

“Really? Do you hate me that much?” Draco deadpanned in her direction.

“You know it’s pointless if I stay anyway. None of those girls ever want me to wait on them. They just wait for you. I’ll be back in 30 so you’ll be fine.” Daphne patted Draco’s cheek before pulling her apron off and heading into the back.

Draco sighed. Every Wednesday around 1pm, the dance studio down the street let out for an hour break. Most of the girls, and some guys, were college aged and always found their way to Brewer’s Alchemy. Usually they’d buy coffee or, sit in the chairs, and chat. The most daring would hang close to the counter and try to catch Draco’s eye. Draco’s employees thought it was funny. Draco found it annoying.

Before the bell above the door even rang, he saw the herd of them walking down the sidewalk along his large front window. Taking a deep breath, he plastered a smile on his face and waited for the mob to come up to the counter.

There was at least 8 of the local dancers in line already, and judging by the ringing of the bell, there was more people piling in. Draco was thankful Ellie and Sarah were the ones making the drinks today as they were two of the fastest employees Draco had. His cheeks were starting to ache from the smile he continuously kept on his face. Millie always accused him of flirting with the customers to get them to order more than just a drink. And that just wasn’t true. Draco did however know the importance of upselling and couldn’t help making suggestions.

He had just finished with a blonde girl, who either had something in her eye, or thought she looked cute batting them away at Draco, when his eyes widened and his smile disappeared. Harry Potter was next in line.

He hadn’t seemed to notice Draco yet as his eyes were still peering up at the large chalkboard plastered above Draco’s head that held their menu. Using the moment, Draco took a small breath and took him in. Potter looked…well...he looked _good_. He had gotten taller, a lot taller. Draco was going to have to look up a bit once he came fully up to the counter. His hair, while still messy, worked now tousled on the top of his head, curling slightly around his ears. He still had glasses, but the frames were black now. His light gray t-shirt was spread tightly across his obvious chest muscles. The leather jacket he wore kept Draco from seeing just how muscular. Which to be honest was probably for the better. Draco could tell he was about ready to order and so quickly plastered the smile back onto his face. There was no need to show he was uncomfortable with the situation. This was Draco’s shop. Potter should feel weird if anything.

Besides, Draco knew he looked good too. Theo was an ass, but he constantly prized Draco’s looks whenever they were out with others. And magical world notwithstanding, Draco pulled looks almost anywhere he went. Possibly not as many as Blaise, but enough to know that he was attractive.

Potter stepped up the counter, neck still craned to peer at the top of the menu.

“Hi. Welcome to Brewer’s Alchemy. What can I get you today?” Draco mentally gave himself a pat on the back. His smile stayed in place, his tone of voice was no different than when he waited on any other customer and judging by how quickly Potter swung his eyes down to meet Draco’s, he surprised the Golden Boy.

“Malfoy?”

Draco was thoroughly enjoying the look of shock and confusion on Potter’s face.

“Hi Potter. What can I get for you today?” Draco asked again, smile still in place. Potter’s shock caused Draco to relax. This was his turf after all.

“What are you doing here?” Potter glanced around as if looking for a rhyme or reason that his old nemesis was standing behind a coffee shop counter wearing an apron.

“I thought that would be obvious. I’m trying to get your order so that I can get through the line.”

Potter continued to look on in bewilderment.

“Oh, for God’s sakes.” Draco scribbled something down onto his ticket pad, turned around and laid the ticket on the back counter for Ellie or Sarah to grab when they were ready.

“Potter go stand down there and wait for your name to be called. I can take the next guest!” Draco was already looking at the next customer in line, but Potter still stood waiting.

“But I didn’t order anything.”

“I ordered for you. Now move along.” Draco still had his smile in place. The next girl in line was starting to seem annoyed that she wasn’t getting the opportunity to speak with Draco. The girls behind her were starting to appear antsy.

“Well, how much do I owe you?” Potter began reaching towards his back pocket to pull out his wallet. Finally, Draco locked eyes with the man again, smile still in place.

“Don’t worry about it. It’s on me. Now move,” Draco leaned towards him to whisper, “Claudia takes forever, and I have a line to get through.” Draco genuinely smiled at him, before plastering his fake one back on for the world to see, pulled back and motioned for Claudia to step forward.

Potter moved out of the way towards the other end of the counter to wait for his drink.

Draco was able to appease Claudia, and two other girls behind her by making sure they knew Draco remembered them when he addressed them by name. He even threw out a wink or two, much to their giggling pleasure. He was starting to feel uneasy though as he could feel Potter’s eyes latched onto his every move. He felt a modicum of relief when Potter moved away.

Draco continued on solo with the line until Daphne came back from break. Together they got through the crowd and sighed relief once the last customer had received their drink. It always astonished Draco how at times, the whole shop could seem filled to the brim, and then all at once, the place would be almost empty. He finally let the fake smile drop from his face and let his head drop into his hands on the counter.

“Come on boss, you still got work to do. Stop slacking.” Daphne tossed a straw at his head which caused Draco to peer wearily over at her.

“Says the woman who abandoned me in my time of need.”

“I can’t help that I’m smarter than you,” she replied cheekily, “I’ll go help Ellie and Sarah prepare for the evening rush. Think you can handle the front?” She sauntered away laughing at Draco’s unamused stare.

Draco sighed and pushed up to stand straight. He closed his eyes as he threw his arms over his head to stretch out his back and arms and brought them down on a sigh. Rolling his neck, he opened his eyes and almost screamed. Potter was standing at the counter.

“Shit! Don’t do that! Wear a bell or something.” Draco rubbed his chest as if trying to sooth his heart back down from its panic. Potter stood across the counter, smirking with an empty coffee cup in his hand.

“Sorry about that,” he didn’t seem sorry, “I just wanted to ask what this drink was. It was great.”

Draco felt his heart flutter again. Stupid thing needed to get over the shock. “It’s our blueberry cobbler blend. We infuse it here ourselves.” Draco felt nervous for some reason now. Now that the shop was empty, Draco seemed to be on the backfoot.

“Well it was great. I’ll definitely know what to order next time. Thanks again.” Potter smiled full out and Draco suddenly felt his heart flutter again. What was going on? He might need to get it checked out.

“Y-you’re welcome.” Draco was pissed that he stammered. This was his turf damnit.

Potter seemed to search Draco’s face for another moment, smile still in place, before he pushed away from the counter and made his way towards the door. As he was leaving, he waved over his head and called out with one last smirk adorning his face.

“See you tomorrow Malfoy!” The bell dinged as he strolled out the door, and Draco watched as he crossed the street through his large front window.

“Tomorrow?” Draco whispered to himself, “what the hell just happened.”


	5. Chapter 5

That night, Draco found himself forcefully sat on his bed while Pansy raided the clothing in his closet. Normally, Draco would have pushed her out by now with a few choice words, but he felt guilty standing her up the previous night after band practice. He already felt emotionally depleted after being reprimanded by his band mates, he knew he wouldn’t have the energy to go dancing like he and his friends used to do. Instead, he wandered the streets and holed up on a park bench until he deemed it late enough to head home without crossing any of his friend’s paths. He did not account for his friend’s inability to let sleeping dragons lie. When he arrived back at Millie’s flat, there they all were, dressed to the nines, eating take-way. After a minute of silent treatment, Draco apologized and then agreed to go out the next night with them.

Pansy had shown up at Brewer’s Alchemy right before closing to ensure he kept his word. She was already dressed in the outfit she had deemed appropriate for the night’s festivities and Draco saw more than one set of eyes in the shop eye her appreciatively. She was dressed in a tight mini royal blue dress that hugged her every curve and left nothing to the imagination. Her cropped brown hair was bone straight and tucked behind one ear. Her makeup was artful as always, and if Draco wasn’t gay, and not always irritated with her a bit, he would have looked twice. He dreaded walking back to the flat with her in her high heels, knowing she would complain the entire walk. She finally agreed that they could apparate, even though they both abhorred the feeling of doing so. As soon as they arrived home, she dragged him to his bedroom to begin getting ready.

“Honestly dear, you’re lucky you’re good looking. Most of these clothes are positively dreadful.”

“Hey, I like those dreadful T-shirts. Keep your paws off.”

“Yes I know. That’s perhaps even more dreadful. Never fear, there are still some items that will work for tonight’s excursions.” Pansy disappeared further into the closet and Draco sat rolling his eyes.

Personally, he didn’t see the point in dressing the part tonight. He wasn’t going to try to hook up. Draco, more than anyone, knew he had issues he needed to work on, and the ache left by Theo was incredibly still new. Tonight, he was going to just spend time with his friends, possibly get plastered, and then maybe go back to the shop to eat a bunch of cake. Like they used to do before Draco and Theo became an item. He was interrupted from his musings as Pansy threw a shirt in his face.

“Put this on, and these pants.” She threw a pair of black skinny jeans that Draco honestly forgot he even owned. “Wear those black boots I got you two Christmases ago. I’ll be back in 10 minutes to check your progress.”

“Yes ma’am.” Draco rolled his eyes and pushed himself to his feet to set about getting changed. Pansy was one foot out the door before she stopped to scold him.

“Don’t call me that. It reminds me of my mother.”

“But then how else am I going to irritate you?” Draco asked cheekily.

“You always find another way dear.” She called as she left and closed the door behind her.

Draco allowed himself to smile a bit. Picking on Pansy always did lighten his mood. He pulled his work jeans off first and mourned the loss of their comfort as he eyed the jeans Pansy demanded he wear. He set about pulling them on and had to shimmy to get them up over his hips and buttoned. There was some stretch to them which did help them feel a bit more comfortable than they appeared, but that wasn’t saying much. He turned back to the bed the grab the shirt Pansy picked out and scoffed lightly. It’s not that it was a bad shirt, but again it wasn’t something Draco typically wore. At least not anymore. It, too, was black, and while not completely sheer, Draco knew from experience that the lights in the club would make it slightly so. He put both his arms through and set about buttoning it up while he moved towards the hanging mirror on the back of the closet door. He was thankful it was muggle, as he didn’t feel like hearing the remarks mirror Draco usually spouted at him from time to time. He buttoned the cuffs at his wrists as he looked himself over in the mirror.

Draco had to admit, he looked good. Theo rarely liked it when Draco dressed up unless it was for a business function. He grabbed some gel from atop his dresser and set about tousling his hair. Once he deemed it passable for the club, he delved back into his closet looking for the boots Pansy had gifted him. Working, he favored trainers more than anything, but he had to admit, nothing compared to the dragonhide boots that pansy had imbued with an infinite cushioning charm.

He found them tucked behind a leather backpack he has used once to travel to the countryside with Blaise Pansy and Millie years ago. Sitting down on the bed, he pulled them both on and then went about tightening the laces. Pansy walked back in just as he was finishing.

“Oh good. You actually listened for once.” Pansy said as she moved closer to inspect his outfit. She motioned for him to stand and he complied. Then she swiveled her finger, in the universal sign to spin.

“Really?” Draco asked unenthused.

“Really. Go on, give me a spin.”

Throwing his head back to glare at the ceiling, he slowly spun in a circle to appease her.

“Perfect. Blaise should be here any minute and then we can be on our way.” Pansy and Draco both moved out to the living room where Millie sat and, surprisingly, Greg.

“I didn’t know you were coming along tonight.” Draco asked, his eyebrows raised indicated his surprise. Greg was dressed in a pair of dark jeans, a dark gray t shirt and a leather jacket. Not posh in the least, but would fit nicely in with the rest of the muggle crowd that normally attended Smithereens.

Greg shiftily glanced at Millie before replying to Draco. “Didn’t have anything else going on.” Draco glanced at Millie to see the small smile adorned on her face. He wished they would just get it on already. For years, Greg has been pining after her, and for a while, Millie seemed oblivious to the fact. Over the last year or so, Draco suspects that she finally caught on. Now that Draco wasn’t completely caught up in his life with Theo, maybe he could give them a little nudge in the right direction. He just had to wait for the perfect opportunity.

“Well good. You can keep me company at the bar while these loons go off dancing.” Draco moved to sit beside Greg on the couch and flopped down as Millie admonished him.

“Draco, if you think you’re getting off the hook from dancing, you have another thing coming.” Millie stared him down. Millie normally found herself wearing jeans and T-shirts like Draco. Working in the shop could be messy at times and looking amazing was never really on the forefront of their minds while minding the shop. Tonight, however, Millie was a bombshell. He dirty blond hair was curled slightly and she wore a dark red body con dress that showed off her curves and bosom nicely. Not for the first time, Draco thought about how the Hogwarts uniform and robes never did her justice.

“Fine. Once Greg and I are sloshed, we will dance up on you to your hearts content.” Greg spluttered for a second and Draco watched with glee as Millie glanced at Greg and began to blush. Okay, it probably wasn’t the perfect opportunity, but he couldn’t help himself sometimes. Draco was saved from any scolding by Blaise arriving.

Where Draco was pale skin adorned in darkness, Blaise was just the opposite. He was dressed in light gray jeans with a crisp white button down covered by a gray blazer. He looked great, and by the look Pansy was giving him, she seemed to agree. There was another pair that he wished would just get a move on. They hooked up every now and then, but both had the tendency to act like settling down wasn’t for them. Draco knew differently. He was the one, after all, that they confided in when they were black out drunk.

Pansy clapped her hands once and moved into the center of their group.

“Well now that we are all here and ready, I say it is time for us to consume some good alcohol before we have to gulp down that swill at the club. Millie be a dear and help me get the shots poured.” Millie grumbled, but pushed herself from the couch to follow Pansy into the kitchen. Greg’s eyes followed her the whole way out and Draco elbowed him in the side in jest.

“Shut up.” Greg grumbled, before crossing his arms over his chest.

Millie and Pansy both came back with two trays covered in shots for them to drink. When Draco tried to argue that it was overkill, Blaise simply tipped one to his lips and refused to stop until Draco gave in. Pansy decreed they were well off after five shots apiece and corralled everyone to the front door to make their way to Smithereens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Been crazy busy lately, but happy that I was able to write more today. I wonder what awaits Draco at Smithereens. ;)


	6. Little Bird

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group has taken Draco out to the club where he runs into more than one familiar face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're getting closer to the idea that transpired it all and I am excited to write that moment.

Draco had forgotten how crowded the club could be on Saturday nights. It had been a long time since he had been here. Before Theo, he and his friends were once regular attendees.

Draco wasn’t sure if it was a good or a bad thing that he stopped going as much. On one hand, he loved being out with his friends; dancing, drinking, feeling free… On the other hand, the club reminded him of the days when he was desperately looking for a place to belong. Every weekend (and some weeknights) Draco went home with a different person. Mostly muggle, even though Smithereens was a magical/muggle friendly establishment. His therapist at the time was trying to work through the feeling he had of his puzzle piece not slotting into place. It wasn’t healthy trying to jam himself into the life of every passerby. His friends worry had been increasing, but then Theo happened. And, Draco could admit, his piece didn’t exactly fit into Theo’s puzzle. The grooves were the right shape, but the coloring was all off. Draco convinced himself that they were just abstract.

Greg’s shoulder bumped into Draco’s as they waited at the bar.

“What do you want?” He all but yelled into Draco’s ear. Draco hadn’t realized the bartender was finally free.

“I don’t care! You pick!” Draco yelled back. Greg shrugged his shoulders and leaned towards the bartender to give his order. Their group was already tipsy from the drinks at the apartment and from the round of tequila shots Pansy made everyone down as soon as they arrived. The rest of their friends went off in search of a table while Greg and Draco stayed behind to order drinks. Draco was regretting offering to help Greg carry everything back after he saw the amount Greg had ordered. The bartender was nice enough to fit everything onto two trays for them to carry.

“Jesus Greg! Why did you order this much?”

Greg shrugged nonchalantly, “Didn’t feel like coming back for a while.” He grabbed a tray and took off in the direction they saw the others disappear to.

Draco moved to grab the second tray, grateful that his job made the task of carrying unstable bottles of liquid an easy one. Just as he reached out to grasp the tray, someone took his hand in theirs. Draco quickly glanced up to see a man at the bar that looked terribly familiar.

“Draco! It’s been too long! How have you been?” The man smiled earnestly in Draco’s direction. Shit, why couldn’t he remember this guy’s name?

“Heeyy…. you! I’ve been great. How are you?” Draco opted to smile charmingly to not arouse suspicion of him not having a fucking clue as to who this man was.

“I’m great. Even better now that I’ve ran into you.” The man raised his eyebrow while he gently trailed his fingers along the back of Draco’s hand.

Ah. So that’s how he knew him. Draco started to feel shame creep into his once okay mood. He decided to cut the conversation short and drew his hand back to grab at the tray once more. Tray in hand, he smiled politely and turned to venture into the crowd.

“Nice running into you again.” Before the mystery man could counter, Draco was lost among the crowd, maneuvering his way towards his friends.

After a few nudges and shoves, Draco finally reached the large booth his friends had secured. Draco whistled at the location.

“How’d you manage such prime real estate?

“Pansy may have scared off some poor souls.” Blaise laughed and looked at her in appreciation. Pansy merely smirked at the praise. After making room on the table, Millie helped Draco set the tray down and began to pass everyone their drinks.

“Alright gang! Drink up! To new beginnings and old friends!” Millie thrust her shot out to the middle of the table. Looking down, Draco saw a shot placed in front of each of his friends. He took a seat in the curved booth near the end. Everyone sat with their shots in the air, glaring at him to join. Draco, in turn, took the opportunity to look each of his friends in the eye. He was grateful for every single one of them and wondered for the thousandth time where he would be if they hadn’t stubbornly glued themselves to his side.

He shook his head, smiled softly, firmly grasped his shot and thrust it into the air.

“To new beginnings and old friends.” He said fondly. They all shouted cheers, clinked their glasses together, and downed their shots.

Many drinks later found Draco and his friends on the dance floor. The music was great tonight and despite Draco and Greg’s vehemence earlier in the evening about dancing, they found themselves lost to the music with the rest of crowd. Silva’s “Genghis Kahn” was blaring, and Draco, Millie, and Greg were drunkenly screaming out the words to each other while moving to the beat. Pansy and Blaise were wrapped around each other beside them, having fun, but clearly in their own world.

Draco forgot how much fun the club was, especially this one and its eclectic music choices. Silva’s song melded into Two Feet’s “Go fuck yourself.” Excitement thrummed on the dance floor, and everyone could be heard chanting along to the beginning of the song. Once the beat dropped in Draco found himself swaying sexily to himself. Blaise and Pansy were clearly gone on each other this evening and Draco was thoroughly excited and pleased to see Millie and Greg glued together, bodies rolling to the beat. The song was short, but the DJ seamlessly mixed the end of the song into The Weeknd’s “Wicked Games.

Draco was drunk and looking at his friends gyrating together in front of him, he could tell he wasn’t the only one. He downed the last of his drink and began stumbling to the bar to order another. He hadn’t made it far when he felt hands wrap themselves around his waist. Drunk as he was, Draco momentarily gave in to the body behind him. Draco used to like this. Being pressed against a stranger, sharing body heat. Feeling a man’s arousal bumping against his thigh. If Draco was just a bit more intoxicated, he probably would have stayed wrapped in this man’s arms and let the music carry him away. As it was, he had enough sense in him to understand he didn’t want this anymore. He made to move away when the hands at his waist gripped tighter and pulled him back. Confused and offended, Draco glanced over his shoulder to see who had captured him. Ugh, of course. It was the man from the bar. His dirty blonde hair flopped messily into his eyes, and his biceps bulged as he squeezed Draco’s hips just a bit tighter. In the past Draco probably would have found it sexy. Now it was annoying.

“Knew I’d catch you later little bird.” He spoke into Draco’s ear and suddenly Draco remembered vividly his last encounter with the man. It had been a month or two before Theo swept Draco away. Draco had been here alone on a weeknight, drinking his sorrows away, ignoring Pansy’s messages, when this man, Dylan was his name, came up to Draco at the bar. They had danced and later fucked in the bathroom stall. Pansy, while upset that Draco was self-medicating in such a way, had found the humor in the situation when Draco went on and on how the man kept referring to him as a bird. One of Draco’s least liked creatures.

Draco pulled a face when Dylan began kissing his neck. “Um hey Dylan, I gotta go. My friends are waiting on me.” Draco moved his hands to those on his waist and moved to push them off. Instead one hand moved up Draco’s chest while the other creeped towards his groin.

“Oh come on little bird, it’s been far too long. This nest has missed your sweet arse.”

Draco almost gagged at his words and tried to move away once again. “Sorry Dylan, but I can’t right now.”

“I’m sure I can convince you.” Dylan placed his hand over Draco’s pectoral and tweaked his nipple. Anger surging within him, Draco was about to turn in the man’s arms to punch him in the face, when a broad chest suddenly filled Draco’s vision.

“Draco, there you are. I’ve been looking for you everywhere.” Draco slowly drew his gaze upwards and found himself staring deep into Harry Potter’s eyes. Again? Draco hadn’t seen Potter in years and here he was making a second appearance in Draco’s life in less than twenty four hours?

“Potter?!” Draco was man enough to admit that he did at times sound like a dramatic teenage girl. Potter smirked at him and then looked up at Dylan, who was still plastered to Draco’s backside and wrapped around him predatorily.

“Thanks for taking care of Draco, but I’m here now.” From an outsider’s perspective, Potter seemed friendly. But Draco knew better. It may have been years, but he had seen Potter smile with that many teeth before and it usually was a bad omen. Also, it was usually directed and Draco and Greg for some reason or other.

“Fuck off. I caught this little bird and he’s happy where he is.” Draco had no control over his face each time this idiot referred to him as a bird. Draco heard Potter chuckle.

“Actually Dylan, I want to go. My friends are waiting for me, so if you don’t mind…” With more force than before, Draco shoved at Dylan’s hands on his hip, but still Dylan clutched to him. “Dylan, I’m not kidding. Let go.” Draco grabbed at this hand and ripped it from his hip. Once the hand was forcefully removed, Draco was spun by Dylan’s other hand on his shoulder to face the taller blonde man.

“You’re just forgetting how much fun we had. It has been awhile. I’ll remind you…” Dylan wrapped his hands into Draco’s hair and pulled Draco towards his lips. Stunned by the sudden pulling, Draco briefly allowed himself to be pulled forward before becoming rigid and attempting to push himself away. Just as sudden as Dylan began, his hand fell limp from Draco’s hair, and the other fell from his shoulder. Unknowingly, Draco had closed his eyes and took the reprieve to squint them open. Dylan stood there with a look of utter confusion etched across his face. Both of his arms dangled numbly at his sides.

“I can’t feel my arms.” He stated while glaring down at both of his hands. “Why can’t I feel my arms?” Draco could hear panic start to creep into Dylan’s voice when Potter’s laughter could be heard.

“Oh man, did you try one of those new blue drinks at the bar? I heard it was laced with something. Don’t worry though. I’m sure it will wear off soon. Draco and I really do have to go now. Nice meeting you Big Bird.” Before Draco could fully put together what had happened, Potter’s fingers were laced with his, pulling him through the crowd.

Draco wasn’t sure how, but Potter knew to bring him right back to the other side of the room where his friends were still drunkenly dancing together. If Draco had any luck, he could sneak back to them, Potter would disappear, and his friends would be none the wiser that Harry Potter was in the club with them right now. Of course, Draco had terrible luck. Pansy happened to look his way, Potter still grasping onto his hand, guiding him back to his pack. He glared back in her direction, daring her to say anything.

“Harry Potter!? My, my my! What a surprise! Blaise, Greg, Millie, look who has brought our Draco back to us!” Draco had to repeat to himself that he did actually love Pansy somewhere deep within his soul, even when she was being a bitch like right now. His friends stopped and looked at Potter, then to Draco, then to their hands, which Draco promptly let go of, and then back to Potter with large grins on their faces. There was at least some satisfaction to be felt at the look of caution that flitted across Potter’s faces.

“Um, yeah. Hi guys, Long time no see.” Potter did a small wave and then put his hands deep into his pockets.

“Whatever are you doing here darling?” Pansy looked like the cat that caught the canary as she stalked towards the pair.

“I’m actually out with some mates from work. They’re probably wondering where I went to be honest.”

“Aw. Such a pity you can’t stay and keep poor Draco company.”

“Pansy…” Draco drawled in warning and felt satisfied when her drunken reflexes caused her to stumble in her heels. Blaise attempted to keep her upright but ended up stumbling himself. Not looking away from Pansy and Blaise, Draco smiled softly when he heard Millie snort in laughter.

“We’re actually getting ready to leave soon, aren’t’ we Pans?”

“Yes dear, right after we have a shot with Potter!” At this Blaise Greg and Millie all cheered and moved in on the two of them, ushering everyone towards the bar. Flagging the bartender down, they ordered six double shots of tequila and waited as the bartender fetched their lemons to go along with their alcohol.

“Really Pansy? Tequila again? Do you want me to black out?” Draco griped at her side. Potter chuckled to his left.

“Do you have trouble holding your alcohol Draco?”

As Draco vehemently denied such a thing, Millie popped into the conversation, “yes he does. And tequila always gets him extra randy too.”

“Is that so?” Potter turned his body more towards Draco’s, smilingly coyly at the blush that was suddenly over taking Draco’s pale skin.

“Shut up Millie. Like you’re any different.” Draco raised an eyebrow at where Greg;s arms were tightly wrapped around her waist. She merely winked and turned back to the bar when the bartender sat their glasses in front of them, poured the tequila and placed a lemon on the edge of each glass.

“Alright everybody!” Blaise shouted to the group, now clustered in a small circle to the left of the bar, “To old friends and new beginnings!” He thrust his glass outwards towards the center and gave a knowing look at Draco. Each of his friends did the same, shouting the familiar words, and swiftly glancing between him and the green-eyed man beside him. Potter turned slightly to Draco and much softer than the rest of them, declared “to old friends and new beginnings” and thrust his hand into the center with the other Slytherins. Glancing up, he caught Potter staring down at him, and he tried to will down another blush from surfacing. He licked his lips, clinked his glass with the others declaring the same sentiment. They each downed their shot and after sucking on their lemon, their group peeled into laughter at the faces they were all making. Well and truly sloshed now, Draco reiterated that it was time to go home. The alcohol had clearly caught up with all of them and Draco knew that if he didn’t go to bed soon, his night would be spent dealing with the spins.

Millie whipped out her phone, much to the surprise of Potter, and called for an Uber to drive them back to her apartment.

“We gotta get outside guys! It’ll be here in 3 minutes.” Millie presented her phone to the group, showcasing that the uber was on its way. Greg wrapped his arm around her shoulder and began staggering with her to the door.

“Our chariot awaits young Queen!” Blaise shouted before picking Pansy up and throwing her over his shoulder.

“Blaise put me down this instant!” It would have seemed threatening if Pansy would have kept from laughing the moment he picked her up.

With eyes barely open, Draco began moving towards the door in an almost dreamlike state. Ugh why did he get this drunk.

“Easy there. Here, let me help you.” Potter placed his hands on Draco’s hips from behind and helped keep him upright on the trek out of the club. Draco made it outside just as the uber pulled up. Millie and Greg climbed inside, followed by Pansy and Blaise. Draco reached out to the door and Potter held his hand as he climbed up into the SUV.

“I’ll see you tomorrow Draco.” Potter said it soft enough that only he could hear.

“See you tomorrow Potter.” Potter closed the door and Draco watched out the window as they pulled away from the club.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry I haven't posted in a while. I started college up for the first time in years and I started a new job so I'm getting into the hang of everything. Nice comments and kudos take away my stress though if you want to help ease the mind of this crazy woman.


	7. Drama Free

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know my updates are few and far between, but I am still definitely working on this. We're inching closer to the halfway mark of this fic and I'm so excited to write it. It was the entire reason I started writing it in the first place.

Draco regretted drinking. No. Scratch that. He regretted existing. He never drank much when he was with Theo and, at the moment, he was definitely bemoaning the loss of his high tolerance. Millie’s flat was quiet, which meant that he was most likely the first one awake. Being the owner of a coffee shop meant that when the sun began to rise, your inner clock started going off too. He attempted to open his eyes but thought better of it once the light slammed to the back of his retina. Instead, he fished around blindly for his wand.

Over the years, Draco became accustomed to, and was secretly fulfilled by, doing tasks the muggle way. His entire childhood was nothing but drills of superiority based on the fact that magic coursed through his veins. After the trials, Draco’s wand was forced under restricted access. He could use the wand for pre-determined tasks; mostly to help him finish school. At first, he resented his magic being limited; felt no better than a squib. But, once he delved into muggle society, he garnered a new appreciation for doing things without magic. He liked doing things with his hands and seeing his hard work come to fruition simply by trying hard. Plus, Draco found that the less he used it, the more attuned he became to his own magic and to magic around him. Pansy said he was wasting a gift. That was alright though. He and Pansy disagreed on most things.

He finally located his wand wedged between his pillow and headboard. Groaning in success, he flopped over to his back and flicked his wand towards his door. The door slowly opened, and a hangover potion sluggishly floated towards Draco’s outstretched hand. The potion would have flown straight to his hand if Draco could muster the energy to concentrate, but he couldn’t be bothered. A century later, Draco pulled the cork from the vial and shot back this disgusting concoction. He waited with a clenched jaw and bated breath as he waited to feel relief.

Gradually, Draco felt his muscles relax and the pain behind his eyes dissipate. He glanced over at his nightstand where his clock sat and sighed at the time. It was 5:30 in the morning and the shop opened in an hour. He had just enough time to get a shower before walking to his shop. As silently as he could, Draco slithered out of bed and picked out his clothing for the day.

Showering was uneventful, and it wasn’t until Draco was heading out the door, muffin in hand, that events from the night before popped back into his mind. Draco hadn’t seen Potter in years, and he had now seen him twice in one day. Who did he think he was, popping in and saving Draco from an imbecile? Sure, Draco was drunk, but he could have handled him. And what was with the whole helping him into the car thing? And whispering into his ear? And telling him he would see him today?

Draco choked on his muffin as he realized that meant that Potter would be coming into his shop again. What did Potter want with him? Panic began to boil inside Draco as his thoughts began racing. Wasn’t he an auror? Maybe he was checking in on past delinquents. Or maybe someone is blaming Draco for a crime he didn’t commit. Well, Draco was not going down without a fight! Potter had another thing coming if he thought he could blame Draco for any wrongdoings. He had done nothing wrong and up until his breakup with Theo, the most exciting thing he did was head out to the grocery store on double coupon days. Nodding with resolve, Draco felt definite that he had the entire scheme figured out. And if there was a single little flicker of hope that Potter may have had feelings for him, well that could just blow right out the window. Draco was no longer a schoolboy and any unnecessary crushes had long since been forgotten. And more to the point, Draco had already concluded that he needed time to find himself anyway, so there was no reason to even ponder that line of thought.

Reaching the coffee shop, he whipped out his keys, unlocked the door and set about with determination to start his day and not to worry one bit about this whole Potter business.

With the lights on and apron around his waist, Draco took a steadying breath and let calm rush back over him. This was his safe place. He controlled this shop and everything in it. Not matter how much Millie tried to argue with him about the matter. Methodically, he moved around, turning on the machines for the day and prepping the display case of the baked goods he carried. Knowing Millie, she would show up in another 10 minutes or so. Daphne would be in even later to be Draco’s closer for the day. The shop wouldn’t be open for another 30 minutes, so Draco walked back to what his team affectionately referred to as his lab. He was attempting to create a new blend, but the notes he was hitting weren’t right yet. He knew he was getting close though. He had this idea of infusing something sweet and tart but had yet to land on a taste that he enjoyed thoroughly enough to sell to his customers. Today he was trying Orange zest with pumpkin. If it didn’t hit the target he was aiming at, it could always be something he used during the fall.

“How do you always manage to sneak out without anyone hearing?” Millie deadpanned as she took in the scene before her. Draco glanced up at his friend and noticed the circles under her eyes.

“I think I should be asking you how you managed to get here on time. You feeling alright?”

Millie took a moment to close her eyes and rub her forehead.

“I’ll be fine once I get some coffee. I can’t believe how much I drank last night.” Millie moved away and made her way to the break room. Draco abandoned his work and followed behind her.

“I can’t believe how much you were on Greg last night.” Draco said, chuckling softly. Millie paused in putting her apron on and chucked a paper cup towards his way.

“Shut up. You’re one to talk.” She smirked at him while tying her apron around her waist. Draco stared back in confusion.

“What do you mean, I’m one to talk? I can assure you I gyrated upon no one.” Millie couldn’t help but laugh.

“Stop bringing up me and Greg. What about you and Potter? That was a nice surprise. You haven’t seen him in how many years? And suddenly he’s taking shots with you and escorting you out of a club?” She asked teasingly, raising her eyebrow.

Draco rolled his eyes, leaving the break room to make his way up front to turn on the lights and flip the sign.

“It didn’t mean anything. He probably just came up to me because he came into the shop yesterday.”

“He came into the shop yesterday!? And you didn’t say anything!? Why did he come in?”

Draco made his way back to the counter where Millie was standing, nudging her astonished figure out of the way to turn the lights on in the pastry case.

“Well, I don’t know if you are aware of this Millie, but we sell this thing. It’s called coffee. Loads of people enjoy it daily.” His sarcastic remark earned him a slap to the arm with her tea towel, “Ow that hurt!” He pulled his arm to himself and pushed his sleeve up to see the welt on his arm turning red.

“Oh, shut it you berk. You know exactly what I meant. “

“Look, I don’t know why he suddenly showed up here. Maybe he was just passing through and needed a pick me up. Who knows…” Draco shrugged nonchalantly and moved towards the register as the bell above the café door rang. Customers were already starting to come in and Draco knew the day was going to be long.

“I can’t believe how casual you are being about this.” Millie said, already moving to the machines to start the order Draco was taking from the tired customer in front them. This guy must have been out all night too by the looks of him.

“Why would I be anything other?” He handed her the ticket with the order written down and turned back to the counter in time to hear the bell ring again.

“Because it’s a big deal!” The whirl of the blender making the iced coffee was loud enough that Draco had to pause in whatever retort he initially was going to give. Once it quieted, he finally replied, although with less bite than what he most likely would have originally had.

“It’s just Potter.” He went on to take the customer’s order in front of him but didn’t miss Millie’s whispered reply to herself.

“Exactly.”

Draco chose not to turn around again. Today was going to be long, judging by the customers that were already pouring in and he had rehearsal tonight. He didn’t need anymore drama in his life. He vowed to be drama free.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will Potter show up? Stay tuned...


	8. Baklava

The morning passed without Potter making his presence known. Draco slipped into his rhythm of taking and filling orders. He wasn’t ashamed that he flirted here and there to convince people to upgrade their coffee or purchase a dessert. What were a few calculated smiles and well placed bashful looks compared to the money flowing into his register. He didn’t start his business solely for the money, but Draco couldn’t escape a Malfoy’s financial know-how if he tried. Plus, people were taking the flyers Blaise dropped off earlier announcing their band’s next gig. Draco still did feel bad at how much he had neglected his friends once he became Theo’s. The band had been one of the only things keeping Draco from slipping under at times. It was hard to think he had been allowing someone to cloud the things that were important to him. Draco was ready to make things right though and he knew getting a large crowd to their show would be a great starting off point.

Draco was in the middle of convincing a girl to bring all of her friends to their show, when an unexpected voice brought their conversation to a halt.

“You’re in a band?”

Draco stood up straight from his lean on the counter and glanced over the girl’s head.

“Potter?”

The shock must have been evident on Draco’s face because Potter smirked in reply. Draco quickly looked away and picked up the rag he had forgotten to wipe the counter down, giving his hands something to do.

“What instrument do you play?” Potter had moved his way to beside the girl at the counter and took one of the flyers in hand, reading its contents. Before Draco could reply, the girl, Tricia Draco thinks her name was, interjected,

“Oh! Draco is amazing! He plays guitar, writes the songs and he’s the lead singer.” She held the flyer to her chest and glanced at Draco dreamily.

Finally coming to his senses, Draco plastered his fake smile back on his face and smiled coyly in her direction, “Don’t let Blaise hear you say that.”

She giggled back at him, “Blaise is amazing too. And don’t worry Draco, I’ll be sure to bring our whole team. None of the girls will want to miss it. See you later!” She smiled dazzlingly and picked up her forgotten coffee to make her way out of the door. There was a reason Draco always conversed with that girl, and that reason being she led a dance team at the studio down the street consisting of at least 20 girls and a few men. The club owner would be extremely happy if their band brought in a huge crowd and maybe it would help his bandmates see that Draco was sorry. Draco watched her leave and went back to wiping the counter down.

“So, you’re a singer huh? Never would have pegged you for that.” Draco glanced up to see Potter smiling at him while folding the flyer into a square and placing it into his jacket pocket. Damn. Draco was going to hide them if he saw Potter come into his shop. It was just like him to get distracted. He couldn’t let him see that he was getting to him. Potter had to be playing at something.

“Well, Potter, you haven’t seen me for years. You barely know me. Now what can I do for you today?” Draco threw his rag into a bucket beneath the counter and picked up his pad and pen to take his order down. He was annoyed again that he was left at the counter alone with Potter, but at least thankful that Millie was on break and that the line had dwindled down for the moment.

“Hmm, that’s true.” Potter came up the counter and leaned his body forward towards Draco, “I wouldn’t mind getting to know you though.” Draco stared into his eyes, stunned for a moment. Potter’s refusal to look away caused Draco’s cheeks to suddenly heat. Draco cursed his pale heritage and could hear Pansy’s laughter in his head mocking how pink his cheeks would turn. Draco cleared his throat and took a small step away from the counter, forcing his face to appear indifferent despite the pink hue he knew it had taken. Potter slowly stood straight as well but smiled slowly as he continued to peruse Draco’s countenance.

“I own a coffee shop, I’m in a band, and I like Mediterranean food. There, now you know me plenty. What would you like to order?” Draco arched his eyebrow and held his pen to his paper to make it clear he was waiting for an answer.

Potter chuckled and finally glanced away, allowing Draco to gain back a little of his composure.

“Mediterranean huh? I know a great place that serves the best baklava-“

“I’m sure it is wonderful; now would you like to order some coffee or not?” Draco deadpanned, cutting Harry off mid-speech. Harry smirked at him for a moment.

“You’re not going to make this easy for me are you?”

“I think I’m making it incredibly easy. You tell me what you want to drink, I place the order, you pay me, I give you coffee, and you leave. Very simple process.”

Harry chuckled again, placing his hands into his jacket pockets. The door chimed as a group of people noisily made their way inside. Potter glanced over his shoulder at the group and sighed.

“You pick for me. I liked what you picked last time.”

Draco nodded as he wrote an order down on his pad, “Very well, now if you could move to the end, I have other customers to wait on.” Draco arched his eyebrow again as he tore the page from his pad to hand back to one of his baristas. Turning his charm back on, Draco began taking the line’s orders, making sure to keep his focus ahead of him rather than drifting to the side to watch Potter at the end of the counter. He may have slipped once and was frustrated that when he noticed Potter staring unabashedly at him doing his job, his cheeks went pink once again. He was able to get through the line and moved back to help his employees finish the orders. He had almost forgotten about Potter during the rush, until he moved back to the front to see Potter waiting on him, coffee in hand.

“This is good. What is it this time?” Potter eyed him as he slowly took a drink from his coffee cup. Draco remembered to breathe as we watched his Adam’s apple move up and down.

“Pecan cinnamon bun.” Draco’s voice may have been a bit hoarse, but it was dry in here. Draco made a note to invest in a humidifier.

“Hmm,” Potter pulled his drink away and reached into his pocket to pull out some of his cash, “It seems we didn’t follow the process. I didn’t pay you before I got my drink.”

“Don’t worry about it Potter.” Draco began to move away from the counter when he was stopped in his tracks.

“Go out with me Draco.” Potter wasn’t smiling this time, instead earnestly staring at him while playing with the lid of his coffee.

Draco took a moment to stare in disbelief before he shook his head and chuckled.

“Good one Potter.” The bell chimed again as more people made their way inside. Draco glanced up at them and made a move to go back towards the register.

“I’m serious,” Harry cracked a smile now moving with him on the opposite side of the counter, “go out with me.”

Draco crinkled his eyebrows as he scoffed.

“That’s not an answer.”

“Potter you have your coffee and I have customers to wait on. Go.” Draco made a shooing motion as he picked up his pad and pen once more.

“That’s not a no.” Harry was smiling full out while walking backwards towards the door, coffee in hand.

Annoyed, Draco responded quickly, “It’s not a yes.”

“That won’t get me down. You know how I am once I set my mind to something. I’ll see you later Draco.” Potter winked at him before slipping out the door. Draco continued to stare after him wondering what his aim was and was broken out of his thoughts by a straw paper hitting him up the side of the face.

Millie stood to the side, straw in hand, “What are you doing spacing out; you have a line.”

Draco grumbled to himself and apologized to the man waiting at the front of the line. He didn’t have time to worry about what just happened. Potter was just playing a game. He probably wouldn’t even show up again. Besides, Draco needed to keep his head clear for practice tonight. He owed it to his bandmates.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos give me life.

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first fic I have written in years. This originated as a song fic in my head but it evolved into something else entirely. This is also going unbeta'd cause I don't know anyone lol


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